Bat or racket for game known as ping-pong or table-tennis.



N0. 703,9". Patented July I, I902.-

. J. smnwoon; BAT 0R RACKET FOR GAME KNOWN AS PING PONG 08 TABLE TENNIS.

(Apphcation filed Mar! 1 1 02-) (N0 me a.)

unml l I [WU I I I l MET wazrzas'sea" fi W .Jzafiflzuaad 2 Is PETERS co.PHOYO-LITHQ, WASHINGTON, 0 c4 ATENT Fl ICE.

JOHN GIRDWOOD, OF EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND.

BAT 0R RACKET FOR GAME KNOWN AS PlNG-PONG 0R TABLE-TENNIS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,911, dated July 1,1902.

Application filed March 10,1902. Serial No. 9'71540- N0 m l- TO @122whmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN GIRDWOOD, dental surgeon, a subject of the Kingof Great Britain, residing at 16 Ainslie Place, Edinburgh, Scotland,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bats or Rackets forthe Game known as Ping-Pong or Table-Tennis, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to bats or rackets for i the game known asping-pong or tabletennis.

The object of my invention is to provide a bat or racket which willenable the player more easily to stand directly facing the table uponwhich the game of ping-pong or tabletennis is being played.

-With the bats at present in use the player has to stand more or lesssidewise to the table in order to make what are known as backhandreturns. great difficulty is experienced by the player in rapidlychanging around from a backhand to a front-hand stroke. In addition tothis the player is prevented more or less from making effectiveback-hand returns on a certain portion of the table on his righthandside. In order to obviate these difficulties, I construct the bat sothat the handle,

or that part of it which is held in the players' hand, instead of itsbeing in the same plane as its blade or striking part is at an anglethereto of such an amount that the player a while directly facing thenet can hold the bat in a natural position as regards his hand and yetkeep the blade approximately parallel to the net. I have found that asuitable angle is about twenty-five degrees to the plane of the bladeand inclined toward the player when the blade isparallel to the net inplaying aback-hand stroke; butI do not confine myself to any particularangle, as the same may be varied to a considerable extent to suitindividual players.

The shape and section of the handle may vary, provided that that partwhich is tobe held by the player is so inclined as to enable the playerwhile facing the net to hold the blade without inconveniencesubstantially parallel to the net.

In order that my invention may be readily The consequence isthatunderstood, I will proceed to describe the same by aid of theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of the improved bator racket. Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof, showing clearly the handleset at an angle to the face of the bat; and Fig. 3 is asecond edge viewat right angles to Fig. 2, with the handle pointing toward the observer.

(1 is the body or striking portion of my improved bat or racket. Thisportion may be of any suitable kind, as my invention does not apply tothe construction of this particular part. In the example shown it iscircular and is made of wood; but it may, for instance, be formed ofthin parchment or skin stretched over a frame, or it may be of cork orother suitable material.

Z) is the handle, which, as shown, is disposed at an angleof abouttwenty-five degrees relativelyto thefaceof the bat or racket and isconnected either to the edge or to any other convenient part of theportion a. In the presentinstance the connection is made by means of aprojection or lug 0, extending from the edge of the part a and lying inthe same plane as this part. The inner end e of the handle is beveledoff to fit against the under side ofsuch projection. Three or more pinsor the like 01 are passed through this lug into the beveled end 6 andserve to unite the two rigidly.

It will be readily understood that when the player is using my improvedbat or racket for playing back-hand strokesthat is to say, with thewrist bent back so that the bat is pointing to the left-it is very mucheasier for him to keep the portion a of the bat parallel with the'end ofthe table or to meet the ball squarely, no matter which side' it maystrike on, than it is when the handle is in the same plane as theportion a This is especially the case when the player is returning aball at the right-hand corner'of the table, because in this position theback-hand stroke with an ordinary bat requires the wrist to be bent backto an inconvenient amount. In fact, some players for this reason onlyuse the back-hand stroke on their left side and have to change over anduse the other face of the bat when playing on their right side.

Now with my improved bat a player can said handle being permanentlydisposed at play back-hand strokes ateither side of the an angle to thebody portion.

table equally Well and with much less exer- In testimony whereof I'havehereunto set tion than heretofore. my hand, in presence of twosubscribing wit- 5 What Iclaim, and desire to secure by Letnesses, this24th day of February, 1902.

ters Patent of the United States, 1s- JOHN GIRDWOOD.

A bat or racket for ping-pong, comprising a body portion, a 111g orprojection integral Witnesses: with said body portion, and a handlesuit- JESSIE HUTCHISON, 1o ably attached to the said lug or projection,THOMAS R. CALDER.

